Design of "chip-scale" patch antennas for 5-6 GHz wireless microsystems

Electrically small square shaped microstrip patch antennas, grounded on one edge by shorting posts, were investigated. The antennas were designed on a GaAs substrate, with a high dielectric constant of 12.9, which helps to reduce the size of the patch. The resonant frequency was reduced /spl sim/50% by utilizing the shorting posts, relative to equivalent patch antennas without shorting posts. The antennas are feasible for integration on chip. Due to this size reduction, the peak gain of the antenna is -11.2 dBi (/spl sim/2.5% radiation efficiency). However, this may be acceptable for short-range wireless communication and distributed sensor network applications.